Soulmates
by Brownriderco
Summary: A Healer apprentice is searched and finds out why he is driven to become a healer. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello everyone. This is a story that's been bugging me. It's actually a novella. Won't be any more than five chapters. Maybe only two or three. Not sure yet. This is set approximately 100 turns after the Skies of Pern in the Reunion AU. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are appreciated and missed when absent._

_Disclaimer: The Dragonriders Of Pern is a registered trademark and copyrighted by Anne McCaffrey. This is fan fiction that garners _**NO MONEY WHATSOEVER**_ for the author of this work._

_Chapter One_

Matarran assembled with the other healer apprentices for inspection by the searching dragons. There was a green and a blue. Their riders were speaking with the masterhealer. The men broke up and the riders returned to their dragons.

The apprentices were asked to step forward, one at a time. The dragons looked at each apprentice even going so far as to sniff some of them. Matarran was one of the ones who received the sniff treatment. After all had been inspected, the riders spoke again to the masterhealer. Then the green rider then went down the line.

He stopped at the third boy and spoke to him. The boy stepped out of the line. The green rider continued down the line of apprentices. There couldn't be two could there? Matarran had never heard of a search taking more than one person from a group.

The green rider stopped in front of Matarran. "What's your name, boy?"

"M-M-Matarran," he stammered.

"Congratulations son. Jeranth says you will attract a hatchling. If you want to stand, that is. You are under no obligation. The choice is yours."

Matarran couldn't believe it. A dragon had found him worthy to stand as a candidate. He did want to ride a dragon but he also wanted to be a healer. It was as if he had to be one.

"If I impress, can I come back and study healing?"

"I don't know see why not," the green rider told him. "Thread is a thing of the past. You will have to attend flight training, of course, but there is no reason why you couldn't come back here and become qualified as a weyr healer."

"Of course I'll stand."

The green rider nodded. "Well then, get your things and don't dawdle. We have other stops to make."

Matarran ran to the apprentice dorm and quickly gathered his things.

He and the other boy, Setamal were dropped off at Fort and given into the care of the candidatemaster, an older man named T'ras. He was shown where to put his things and where he would sleep. Then he and the other candidates were herded into the lower caverns to help with the mid-day meal.

* * *

The candidates were taught, among other things, to project love and welcome towards the eggs when they were hatching.

"There is no need to be afraid," T'ras told them. "In fact, that can and will put a hatchling off choosing you. If a hatchling looks at you and decides you are not for him or her, stand aside and _don't_ get in its way. He will knock you down and walk right over you. I don't think I need to tell you that a dragonet's claws are rather sharp."

The candidates looked kind of scared at this.

"There is no reason to be afraid," T'ras repeated. "These babies hatch _hungry_. If you stay out of the way of one who hasn't chosen you he is not going to go out of his way to hurt you. If you are in his way? Well, don't be. You won't like the results, I assure you. Now, it's time for lunch. After lunch I am going to take you in to see the eggs. You will get to touch them and familiarize yourselves with them. Class dismissed. Be back here in one hour. That's a candle mark for those who are from the remote holds."

The class filed out and headed to the dining hall to eat.

"We're actually going to get to touch the eggs!" Setamal was so eager. Matarran approached the visit to the eggs with a little trepidation. He wasn't afraid of the eggs, he was afraid he might inadvertently damage one. He didn't know anything about dragon eggs but he knew they contained intelligent life. As a former healer apprentice he had a reverence for life.

The candidates reported back to the classroom at the appointed time and were met by the candidate master.

"Alright. I see everyone is here. Follow me, children."

He took them onto the hatching ground. Matrath was there, of course, as was her rider, Santice. Matrath rarely left the hatching ground and when she did, Galonth guarded the eggs with a zealousness that rivaled his mate's.

"Go on, feel them. Be gentle and don't move any of them."

The candidates looked at the queen dragon. They could see she was watching them, but her eyes were the blue-green of contentment. They knew just how fast that would change if she sensed a threat to her children.

Matarran was drawn to one of the mottled eggs. He gently, almost reverently touched it and felt something. He didn't know what it was, but he felt a familiar presence. He had no idea how he knew it was familiar, but there seemed to be something just at the edge of his consciousness. He assumed it was the dragonet inside the egg. But how could it feel familiar? He projected love and acceptance.

He thought he heard, _We'll be together again soon._ He looked around but the other candidates were gently touching and caressing the eggs. 'Just my imagination running wild,' he told himself.

* * *

The next two weeks were full of attending classes, helping riders bathe and oil their dragons, helping in the kitchens and other assorted sundry chores.

Matarran woke one morning and after preparing himself for the day, walked out into the bowl. The sky was a clear blue with nary a cloud in sight. The morning air was cool but it would warm up a bit as the day progressed. Matarran was just thankful wouldn't get the unbearable heat of high summer. He was standing there lost in thought when he heard, "Did you hear me, boy?"

Matarran turned and saw the candidatemaster. "Excuse me? I'm sorry, sir. I was lost in thought."

"I said, get yourself to the dining cavern or you'll miss breakfast. And if that happens you are going to have to wait till lunch to eat."

Matarran looked sheepish. "Yes sir. Sorry sir."

"No need to apologize, son," T'ras told him. "The eggs will hatch any day now. Maybe even today. It's understandable to be nervous."

"I'm not really nervous," Matarran said as they walked to the dining cavern. "I'm just thinking of the day we went into see the eggs. I felt something familiar when I touched that egg."

"Familiar?" T'ras frowned. "You're just letting your imagination run away with you."

"I don't know sir," Matarran said. "You might be right, but what if you're wrong?"

"I don't see how I could be wrong,"T'ras said with certainty. "There is no way you can be familiar with any of the hatchlings. They haven't hatched yet."

Matarran told him about the voice he thought he heard about being together again soon.

T'ras just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Just your imagination." They had reached the dining cavern. "Get your breakfast. We have work to do today. Unless the eggs decide they want to hatch."

The candidates had finishing breakfast and were chatting among themselves when they heard a humming. The candidate master rose immediately and said, "Back to the barracks and get into your robes. Now! Meet me at the entrance to the hatching ground. _Move_, children!"

They moved. Matarran was at the head of the pack sprinting toward the candidates barracks.

Shortly they were all assembled at the entrance to the hatching ground. "Wait here, everyone," T'ras told them. He then stepped inside and surveyed the scene. He was waiting for a signal from the weyrwoman. When it came, he stepped back out and addressed his charges. "Listen up, everyone. You are now going in there to face those eggs. Remember what you were taught in class and you will be fine. And do _not_ run."

They filed in and took up positions around the group of 24 eggs. Some looked scared to death. Matarran wasn't. He was remembering candidates class. He projected love and welcome at the eggs.

The waiting seemed to go on and on. The humming continued, of course, but that was the only sign that the eggs were ready to hatch.

'Could the dragons be mistaken?' Matarran thought to himself. Then he remembered attending a birth when he was a healer's apprentice. That birth took seven hours, at least from the time he and the jouneyman arrived. Who knew how long the woman had been in labor before her husband called for a healer? He hoped these eggs wouldn't take that long to hatch.

Suddenly the hum deepened and became more insistent. Cracks appeared on several of the eggs.

Then two eggs cracked at once. One fell apart revealing a bronze hatchling, and a blue head emerged from the other. The blue head disappeared back inside the egg and the shell suddenly exploded outward. The bronze looked around and spied Setamel. It gave a cry of joy and rushed at the boy.

Setamel's face was suffused with joy as he bonded with his new lifemate.

"His name is Katanth!" Setamel called out. "He's starving!" The newly minted rider and his dragon were lead to the feeding room.

Matarran was glad for his friend. Then he felt something and turned around. There was a blue hatchling looking at him.

Then he heard, _Find your own. He's mine. _The blue looked off to his right, Matarran's left, and then wandered off looking for the rider for him. Matarran looked to where the blue dragonet had looked and saw a hatchling with a beautiful brown hide. The dragonet ran to him and bumped up against him.

_I'm Renth. I'm hungry. _The mental voice in Matarran's head was almost feminine.

Matarran looked into the creature's beautiful eyes and the world fell away. He had never experienced such emotions. At that moment, he knew he'd do anything for this dragon; and he could tell the dragon felt the same way about him. _I'll get you something to eat shortly, sweetheart, _he told the his new charge. Then aloud, he called out, "His name is Renth! I need to get him something to eat!"

A rider was at his side leading him off to the feeding room. When they got there, they were lead to one side of the room where there were buckets of meat. Matarran grabbed one and grabbed a handful of morsels. He offered them to Renth who looked at them strangely.

_They're raw!, _the dragonet told him reproachfully.

_Of course they're raw. That's what dragons eat; raw meat._

Renth hesitated a moment but then hunger got the better of him and he snatched them out of Matarran's hand and bolted them.

"Chew," Matarran told him firmly. "What would I do if you choked?"

_But I'm hungry!_

"I know, love," Matarran told him tenderly, "but you have to chew. The rest isn't going anywhere and will still be here."

Renth dutifully chewed before swallowing, even though it was clear he would prefer to swallow the meat whole.

As Renth was eating, Matarran asked him, _What do you think about M'tar for my new name?_

_I like it. But it doesn't matter. We're together, no matter what your name is._

* * *

_A/N: That's it for chapter 1. See you next time. Don't forget to review._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Here is the next chapter. Sorry about the cliff hanger on the last chapter, but I wanted to get it out and then I had to go to work or I would have worked on this one and posted it right then. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are appreciated and missed when absent._

_Disclaimer: The Dragonriders Of Pern is a registered trademark and copyrighted to Anne McCaffrey. This is fan fiction and garners _**NO MONEY WHATSOEVER**_ for the author of this fan fiction._

Chapter 2

Matarran woke abruptly to an intense hunger. Then his head cleared and he cane instantly awake.

Renth was creeling. _I know you're tired but I'm hungry, hungry, hungry!!_

Matarran, no M'tar now, he firmly reminded himself, threw on a shirt and some pants. _Let's go, sweetheart. I'll find you something to eat._ He could feel the hunger pangs radiating from his dragon. They left the weyrling barracks and there were buckets of meat with others feeding their voracious dragons.

T'ras was there. He spoke. "After you have fed your dragons, you will need to take them down to the lake and bathe and oil them. Their hide must _not _crack, which it will do if they aren't oiled. That will lead to imperfections which can be fatal _between_."

He continued. "After you get them fed, oiled, bathed and settled for a nap, get your own breakfasts and then start preparing their next meal. As I told you in candidate's class, you have to cut the meat off a carcass and then cut those up into bite sized pieces. Make sure you get them small enough. You don't want your new friends to choke."

One boy paled. "We have to cut the meat off the carcass _ourselves_?"

"Of course you do," T'ras told him. "You are ultimately responsible for and to your dragon. When your dragon chose you and bonded with you, your life changed. Your dragon comes first."

The boy nodded. He would do anything for his Logith.

This didn't bother M'tar in the slightest. He had butchered animals before. That was part of the training of a healer.

When Renth was full, his eyelids drooped.

_Do we have to go to the lake?_

_Yes. You have to have a bath and an oiling or you'll wake up itching._

_OK, _Renth replied sleepily.

The candidate master, now the weyrlingmaster, joined them at the lake. "You don't need to take them back to the barracks. Let them find a place here to nap."

* * *

The man held the woman as they danced to a slow waltz. He loved this woman more than anything in the world. He counted himself among the luckiest men in the universe to have a woman who looked at him like she did. They had been married for seventeen years and it was still like the first year.

The dance ended and they went back to their table.

"So," she said, "How'd the conference go. Learn anything new?"

"I always learn new things at these conferences. There are doctors from all over the Confederation here. I find the xenobiology the most interesting. The information that that one ship brought back from that planet, can't remember it's name, the one where they bio-engineered dragons. They actually have a triple helix DNA structure."

"I heard about that," she said. "The lab wanted to know if we could replicate that. From what I see, it's an alien genetic structure and can't be replicated anymore than our regular DNA could be.

* * *

M'tar awoke with a start. That was one strange dream. Triple helix? And what was dee en ay? And who was the woman he'd been talking with? The voice sounded familiar but the face, while pretty enough, didn't ring a bell. But in the dream, he had loved her. Oh, well, he had meat to cut up for Renth. As he was cutting up meat, one of the other weyrlings nicked himself. The weyrhealer was called who applied numbweed and declared it was just a scratch. As he was getting ready to leave, M'tar called him over.

"Sir, have you ever heard of something called a triple helix?"

The man nodded. "Not really sure what it is. You'd have to ask someone from the technician's hall. I heard it mentioned in training, but the instructor didn't go into detail. Just said it was the basis of dragon biology. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," M'tar said. "I had a dream about it. In the dream I was a doctor, whatever that is, discussing it with some woman."

"A doctor is what the Confederation calls a healer. Hmmm."

"In the dream she also said something about Dee en ay."

"Well, I do know what that is," the weyrhealer said. "That's the basic building blocks that make up all life. In this dream, you were a confederation healer?

M'tar kept cutting up meat as he talked. "Seems strange, I know. I was a healer apprentice when I was searched. I had heard of the Confederation, but my studies had to come first. I'm hoping after I graduate, I can go back to the healer's hall and finish my training."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Thread is long gone and you can do a lot of good as a healer seeing how you will be able to get to just about anywhere on dragonback."

M'tar nodded. He hadn't thought of that. The healer excused himself saying he had other patients.

M'tar didn't have time to dwell on the dream as keeping Renth in meat and himself fed took up all his time.

* * *

M'tar woke one day to see Renth staring at him. The dragon came close to nuzzle him.

"What's brought this on?"

_I had a dream. We were together._

_Just as a dragon and rider should be,_ M'tar replied.

_But I wasn't a dragon, _Renth said.

_Well then, what were you?_

_I don't know, _Renth said, _But we loved each other and I could speak with words._

"Well, it doesn't matter. We were together. I'd be concerned if you dreamed we weren't together."

_It was strange. What does alien mean?_

"I have no idea, sweetheart."

_What about replicate?_

_Hmmm, _M'tar replied without words, _Not sure. I think it means copy. Was this in your dream?_

_Yes. Something about alien and replicating. Can't remember much more._

"Well, don't worry about it, dear heart. We're together now and that's all that matters."

* * *

M'tar and Renth were assembled with the rest of the weyrlings for the final test that would either see them as senior weyrlings or gone forever. Personally, M'tar didn't have any doubt. He knew that he would follow the weyrlingmaster's instructions and make sure he visualized his destination. He and Renth had a lot to do in this life. He wasn't about to see it cut short through overconfidence.

When it was his turn, he mounted Renth and they flew to the star stones. He fixed the picture in his mind and then Renth flew to the other end of the bowl. He gave the picture to Renth and reminded him to check with Lotath, the weyrlingmaster's dragon that the image was correct. When the confirmation came, he told Renth to take them _between_ to those coordinates.

They emerged from _between _right where they were supposed to be. Renth wheeled and came in for a landing.

T'ras nodded. "Very good first time. I just wish S'kal had followed instructions like you did. I _hate_ it when we lose one.

M'tar nodded. Hearing the dragons keen when S'kal and Bemanth had failed to emerge was something he would never forget.

Fortunately, the one pair was the only failures. The weyrlings were told they were now senior weyrlings and given the next three days off. They were told to report for advanced training at the tenth hour four days hence. Later that night, Renth remarked that _between_ somehow seemed familiar.

* * *

When M'tar awoke the next morning he again saw Renth staring at him.

_I love you. Even death can't separate us, _Renth told him.

_I love you too, dear heart,_ M'tar replied. _What's brought this on._

_I now understand the dream. I know why I'm here. I'm here because you are._

_So what about the dream? Tell me about it and what it means._

_I can't do that, _Renth replied. _You aren't ready. We'll both know when you are._

This puzzled M'tar. Dragons weren't known for being enigmatic. They were usually practical souls who lived in the moment.

_We will, huh? Okay. If you think I'm not ready, I'll trust your judgment._

* * *

M'tar was in healer training learning about removing an appendix. The instructor said this was a simple procedure but could result in death if an organ became inflamed and was not removed. As the instructor was telling about the procedure, M'tar got a sense that he had heard this before. In fact it seemed like he had actually performed this procedure quite a few times. He couldn't pinpoint how he knew this and couldn't remember doing the procedure, exactly. It just seemed as if he knew how to do this.

"Talking to your dragon while a lecture is going on is not going to help you in your studies, young man."

"I wasn't talking to my dragon, sir. I was somehow remembering doing what you are describing."

The instructor smiled. "Oh really? Would you like to explain what should be done after making the initial incision? "

M'tar began explaining the procedure. When he got to the part about removing the organ, the instructor was frowning. After he had finished with the procedures for closing and suturing, the man had a stunned look on his face.

"I hope you all were listening because that is the the way the procedure should be performed. Class dismissed. Remain behind, young man."

After the class had filed out, the instructor scrutinized his student. "I don't appreciate being made a fool of, young man."

"That wasn't my intention sir."

"Then how did you know how to do that procedure?" the instructor wanted to know.

"I don't know, sir. It just came to me. It's like I've performed it many times before, but I can't remember doing it. That's why it looked as if I was talking to my dragon. I was lost in thought."

'Well, the next time we get a case, you can operate. I'll be there with you, of course. We don't let apprentices perform surgery unsupervised."

"I look forward to it."

"I think that's all, young man," the instructor told him. "You may go."

* * *

The seventy two year old man sat in the sickroom holding the woman's hand. She had shrunk from her illness, but as far as her husband was concerned she was still the most beautiful woman in the universe.

The woman opened her eyes and saw tears on her husband's cheek.

"Don't cry, love. It's my time. I'll wait for you on the other side."

"Please don't leave me," he begged. "I love you and need you."

"I don't have a choice, Joe. But I _will _wait for you. We're soulmates. Not even death can keep us apart for long."

Then she smiled and breathed her last.

"Wren! No! No! Please don't leave me! I love you!" the man shouted. But there was nothing that could be done. She was gone.

A nurse hit the door running, looked at the greiving man and then the instruments that showed lifesigns. All indicators read zero. They had expected this, just not quite this soon.

"Dr. Mason, she's gone," the nurse said gently. "There's nothng more we can do."

The man lived five more years. He never again smiled until it was his time. They found him, dead, with a smile on his face.

* * *

M'tar woke with a start, tears on his cheeks and knew.

_Renth! _he called out in his mind. Then he saw the sleeping form of his lifemate.

_I'm here, _Renth replied sleepily.

_I now understand. About the dreams._

The dragon had arisen and brought his head close to his rider. _Yes, you do. I told you death couldn't keep us apart._

"But how is this possible?" M'tar asked aloud. "You were a female. A woman. And now you're a male dragon."

_I couldn't have been a female dragon. Golds don't choose men and greens almost always choose women or men who feel like women. Not that it matters. We're together and will be for all time. I loved you then, I love you now._ _But it was strange when I first realized the truth._

M'tar laid his hand on his dragon's neck. "Together always. Through this life and any that follow."

* * *

_A/N: This was a concept that emerged almost full blown in my mind. The ending might seem a bit abrupt but that's all that really needs to be said. Don't forget to review._


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